Locomotive blower and stack.



R. M. BOWMAN.

LOGOMOTIVE BLOWER AND STACK.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 30, 1912.

Patented 0017,1913.

WITNESSES REGINALD MOORE BOVMAN, 9F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

LOCQMOTIVE BLONER AND STACK.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 7, 1913.

Application filed October 30, 1912. Serial No 728,658.

To all whom it may concern:

is it known that I, REGINALD Moonn BOWMAN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of the city of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive Blowers and Stacks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for lifting smoke and for producing air drafts in order to promote combustion in furnaces of various kinds, and especially locomotives.

More particularly stated, I seek to provide a combinational device adapted for producing an air draft for promoting combustion and also adapted for lifting smoke from a smoke stack or the like, the apparatus being automatic to the extent that when the steam pressure of the boiler exceeds a pre determined limit, a draft for promoting combustion is shut off and a draft for lifting the smoke is turned on, so that the device, as a whole, has a function of selectivity-the draft being turned on when the steam pre sure is low and when thus turned on serving the purpose of lifting the smoke for promoting combustion, yet, when the steam pressure is high, the smoke is lifted without increasing the air draft or otherwise disturbing the combustion.

In order that my invention may be readily understood, I will point out some of the conditions heretofore attending the use of an auxiliary draft apparatus for promoting combustion and lifting smoke.

Most locomotives, as now constructed and operated, are provided with blower mechanism which is operated automatically by the escape of exhaust steam from an exhaust nozzle into the smoke stack, this exhaust steam producing an aspirating action upon the air in the smoke box and producing a draft through the boiler flues. Since, howver, it is often desirable to employ an air draft for facilitating combustion, when the exhaust steam from the cylinders is not taking place, there is provided an auxiliary exhaust or blower for the purpose of discharging live steam from the boiler through the smoke box and smoke stack in order to produce an air draft through the fire independently of whether the cylinders are exhausting or not. This auxiliary mechanism, in creating the draft through the fire, also creates a draft through the smoke stack and in so doing blows the smoke-upward to a considerable distance. It frequently happens, however, that the steam pressure is very high and that the fire is burning rapidly so that no additional draft through the fire is at all desirable and yet at this moment it may happen that the discharge of smoke is excessive. If now the auxiliary blower mechanism be thrown into action for the purpose of lifting the smoke, the draft through the fire is unduly increased, with a consequent waste of fuel. The safety valve may of course obviate all danger from excessive steam pressure by relieving'the excess well known in this art. Nevertheless the use of the auxiliary blowing apparatus necessitates great waste of the fuel and by causing the safety valve to pop or to blow off for a considerable length of time, fills the surrounding air with steam and also produces discordant and unpleasant noises quite annoying to passengers and other persons in the vicinity of the locomotive. These troubles are aggravated by the fact that the conditions just described usually obtain while the locomotive is standing at a station. The engineer, in such cases, is placed in a dilemma. If he throws the auxiliary blower mechanism into action, he brings on a number of evils above described, among them being the noise of the safety valve and a great waste of steam. If he does not throw the auxiliary blower mechanism into action, the smoke stack pours out vastvolumes of dense smoke, which being heavy, droops down around the locomotive and often enters the passenger coaches, as well as the adjacent buildings, if the locomotive happens to be standing at or near a station.

'VVhat I seek to do, therefore, is to alleviate the troubles above mentioned and particularly to conserve the use of fuel and avoid the necessity for the safety valve blowing off or popping too frequently. I do this by providing an auxiliary blower pipe, fed by live steam from the boiler, and adapted to discharge said steam through the smoke stack so as to produce a draft through the fire, and I further provide means for lifting the smoke by the discharge of live steam from the boiler without in any way disturbing the fire. l render the last mentioned means and the auxiliary blower mechanism dependent, to a certain extent, upon the degree of steam pressure held by the boiler, so that at a low pressure of the steam the auxiliary blower may act to the exclusion of the smoke lifting mechanism, while at a higher pressure of the steam in the boiler, the smoke lifter mecl'ianisi'n may act to the exclusion of the auxiliary blower mechanism, the shifting of duty from the auxiliary blower mechanism to the smoke lifter mechanism being controlled entirely by variations in the steam pressure of the boiler, yet both mechanisms being under general control of the operator to the extent that he can render them, as a unit, either active or inactive, desired.

1 do not limit myself to any precise construction for carrying out the objects just stated, but for the sake of simplicity I show and describe my apparatus as applied to a locomotive and as comprising a steam pipe for controlling a smok lifter and another steam pipe for controlling the auxiliary blower, and a valve, controllable by the steam pressure in the boiler, for opening one of these pipes and closing the other, the operator normally exercising no control over these pipes, except to open and close them both, as he may desire.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like letters indicate like parts.

Figure 1 is aside elevation of a locomotive equipped with my device; Fig. 2 is a detail showing the pressure controlled or automatic valve and also showing a double valve under manual control for rendering the apparatus as a whole idle or active; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan showing the nozzle or discharge hood for enabling the steam to raise the smoke; and, Fig. i is a section on the line l4t of Fig. 3.

The locomotive boiler is shown at 5, the cab at 6, the lift pipe at 7, and the smoke stack at 8, the upper edge of the smoke stack being provided with a bead 9. The exhaust nozzle of the locomotive is shown at 10 and made in the usual or any desired form. Mounted upon the smoke stack 8 and partially encircling the same is a hood 11 made with double walls separated by a compartment 12 and provided at its upper edge with an orifice 13 having a substantially semi-circular form as will be understood from Figs. 3 and 1. A pipe 141 is connected with the lower end of the hood 11. Another pipe 15 is disposed substantially parallel with the greater portion of the pipe 14 and communicates directly with a small nozzle 17, the latter being disposed adjacent to the exhaust nozzle 10. A removable cap 18 is nounted upon the pipe 15 and so arranged that when removed the nozzle 17 may be placed in communication with any blowing fan, for instance one used in a round-house. This forms no part of my invention and is merely for the purpose of enabling an air draft to be forced from the nozzle 17 upwardly through the smoke pipe 17, said smoke stack 8, when the fire is being built in the locomotive and the latter has not sutlicient steam pressure of its own to maintain the air blast required for making the fire. The pipes 14:, 15 are in thisinstance brazed or welded and thus formed into a double tube which is supported in brackets 16.

Connected with the pipes 14, 15 is a double alve 19 provided with a hand wheel 20 the latter being within convenient reach of the engineer or fireman. The pipes 14, 15 are provided with short portions 142-, 15 extending upwardly from the valve 19 and connected with a casing 21 of cylindrical form. This casing is by a short pipe 22 connected with a steam distributing head 23 of the type known in this art as a manifold and through which steam is taken to supply the pipes 14, 15 as hereinafter described. The valve 19 (see Fig. 2) is provided with two stationary seats 24, 25 and two valve members 26, 27 which are adapted to engage these seats, these two valve members being carried by a stem 28. The valve 19 is rendered steam tight by aid of a stuffing-box 29. The stem 28 is provided with a threaded portion 30 and is actuated by aid of the hand wheel 20 so as to press the valve members 26, 2'? against the respective seats 24, 25. W hen, therefore, the valve 19 is opened by aid of the hand wheel 20, both of the valve members 26, 27 are off their seats, and when the valve is closed both valves rest upon their seats.

Slidably mounted within the casing 21 is a cylindrical va ve member 31 and connected with this cylindrical valve member is a valve stem 32 carrying a piston 33. This piston is slidably mounted within a small cylinder 3%,the latter being provided with a vent A disk 36 is mounted within a cylinder 34: and is by aid of a threaded.

stem 37 connected with, and under control of, a small hand wheel 38. The disk 36 rests against one end of a compression 39, the opposite end of this spring enga ing the piston 33. The tension of the spring 39 may be controlled at the will of the operator, by merely turning the hand wheel 38. Encircling the cylinder 34: is a casing 40 which is provided with a threaded portion 41, the latter fitting upon an adjacent threaded portion of the cylinder 34. A spider 12 mounted within the cylinder 34: serves as a limiting stop for the piston 33 and thus prevents excessive travel of the valve 31 in a direction toward the left, according to Fig. 2. The casing i0 is provided with vent 43. This vent and the vent prevent the piston 33 from becoming steam bound due to the accumulation of such steam as might leak past it and into the cylinder 34 and casing 40.

The tension of the spring 39 is adjusted by rotation of the hand wheel 38 to a predetermined critical point, corresponding to a known critical steam pressuresay 200 lbs. per square inchthis pressure representing the critical point above which the fire needs no assistance in the form of an air draft in order that the locomotive may be maintained in normal working condition regards the steam pressure carried. lVhenever the steam pressure of the locomotive exceeds this critical point, the valve member 31 closes the pipe section 15 and opens the pipe section 141, and whenever the pressure is below the critical point 1nentioned, the valve member 31 closes the pipe section 1 1 and opens the pipe section 15*.

The operation of my device is as follows :T he parts being arranged, assembled and adjusted as above described, the locomotive proceeds upon its journey. The exhaust steam from the cylinders is discharged in puffs through the lift pipe 7 and out through the smoke stack 8, carrying with it the smoke and producing a draft in the usual manner. Suppose now that the train stops at a station. The steam supplied to the cylinders being cut off at the throttle, the train prior to stopping runs for a little distance by its momentum alone. During this period and also when the locomotive is brought to a standstill, no draft is made by aid of steam issuing from the exhaust nozzle 10 and the fire may or may not be burning vigorously. The steam pressure may be low, or it may be as high as permitted by the safety valve. The operator simply opens the valve 19 as soon as the general steam supply is cut off at the throttle. The operator performs this step as a matter of course, independently of whether the steam pressure be high or low. The valve 19 being open, steam is thereby rendered free to pass through one or the other of the pipes 14, 15 and upon rare occasions to pass through both of these pipes, depending upon the relative position of the cylindrical valve 31 relatively to the pipe sections let, 15 If the steam pressure be less than that normally carried (in this instance I will say 200 lbs. per square inch) the tension of the spring 39, by forcing the piston 33 to the left according to Fig. 2, maintains the cylindrical valve 31 in the position indicated in Fig. 2, the pipe section 1 1" now being closed and pipe section 15 being open. Live steam from the boiler now passes through the cylindrical valve 31, pipe section 15, and pipe 15, and up through the nozzle 17, smoke pipe 7, and smoke stack 8. This live steam, by aspirating the air immediately around it in the smoke box, produces a draft which increases the combustion and enables the locomotive to get up steam. Suppose, however, that the steam pressure is already at maximum. In this event the spring 39 is compressed because of pressure of the live steam against the piston 33, and the cylindrical valve 31 is thereupon moved to the right according to Fig. 2 so as to close the pipe section 15 and open the pipe section 14:. This being done live steam from the boiler passes through the pipe section 14 and left portion of the valve 19 according to Fig. 2, the steam making its escape from the orifice 13 and lifting the smoke issuing from the top of the smoke stack 8. When, therefore, the valve 19 is open as above de scribed, there is a free flow of live steam through one of the other of the pipes 1 1, 15 and in either event the smoke from the smoke stack is lifted or forced upward. If, however, the steam pressure of the boiler be below the critical point above mentioned, the fire carried by the locomotive is acted upon by an air blast, whereas, if the pressure of the steam be also at its maximum, no effect is produced by my apparatus except to clear the air of smoke. There is thus a great saving of fuel due to the fact that in lifting the smoke there is no undue consumption of fuel.

It will also be noted, as a corollary to the foregoing remarks, that in. using my apparatus the steam is never employed for the sole purpose of lifting the smoke except under conditions where there is plenty of steam available and that when the supply of steam is meager so that none can be spared, such steam as is employed for lifting the smoke is also used for increasing combustion and in so doing, tends to augment the general steam supply.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-- ters Patent is as follows 1. A device of the character described, comprising steam actuated mechanism for producing an air draft for the double purpose of facilitating combustion and lifting smoke, steam actuated mechanism for the sole purpose of lifting smoke, and means controllable by variations in steam tension for shifting a supply of steam from one of said mechanisms to the other.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a smoke stack, a nozzle directed thereinto for aspirating an air current therein, a second nozzle disposed adjacent to said stack for lifting smoke therefrom, pipes leading to said nozzles respectively, valve mechanism connected with said pipes and controllable by variations in steam pressure for automatically opening one of said pipes and closing the other, and means for admitting steam to said valve mechanism.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a smoke pipe, a nozzle extending thereinto for the double purpose of producing an air draft therein and of ejecting smoke therefrom, a second nozzle disposed adjacent to said smoke stack for lifting smoke discharged from the latter, pipes leading to said nozzles respectively, a double valve connected to said pipes for opening and closing said pipes as a unit, an automatic valve connected with said pipes and adapted to maintain one of said pipes closed and the other open, and means for applying steam pressure to said valve mechanism.

4. A device of the character described, comprising a smoke stack, a nozzle directed thereinto, another nozzle located outside of said smoke stack, pipes leading to said nozzles respectively, valve mechanism common to both of said pipes and controllable by variations in steam pressure for the purpose of opening one pipe While closing another depending upon the degree of steam pressure to Which said valve mechanism is sub jected, and means for directing steam into said valve mechanism.

5. A combination of a smoke stack, mechanism for creating an air draft therein,

mechanism independent of said air draft for lifting smoke from said smoke stack automatically, valve mechanism provided With a movable valve member for maintaining one of said mechanisms active While the other is idle, said valve mec ianism being controllable selectively by differences in steam pressure, and means for subjecting said valve mechanism to steam pressure.

6. A. device of the character described comprising steam actuated mechanism for producing an air draft for the double purpose of facilitating combustion and lifting smoke, steam actuated mechanism for the sole purpose of lifting smoke, means controlled by variations in steam tension for shifting a supply of steam from one of said mechanisms to the other, and adjusting mechanism for adjusting said means to different degrees of sensitiveness to said vari ations in steam tension.

REGINALD MOORE BOWVMAN.

Witnesses:

EARL HEWITT, ARMSTEAD M. WEBB.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

